A Faster Schema Synchronization Check

Novell Cool Solutions: Tip
By Mahmood Anwar

Digg This - Slashdot This Posted: 7 Dec 2005

Problem

When performing any major eDirectory action, such as installing a new eDirectory-integrated product or upgrading eDirectory, you should check that the schema is correctly synchronized. This is also one of the eDirectory health check tasks, and it's always a good idea to do. (I detected two major problems in our environment that would have stopped an installation from working correctly by doing a schema check).

However, doing a schema check is often a tedious and time-consuming process.

Solution

An extremely simple way of making the schema check quicker and easier is to create a script file. For example:

1. Create SYS:SYSTEM\SCHCHECK.NCF

2. Add the following commands to this file:

    CLS
    TIME
    SET DSTRACE=ON
    SET DSTRACE=NODEBUG
    SET DSTRACE=+SCHEMA
    SET DSTRACE=*SS
    ?SET DSTRACE=OFF
    CLS

3. Run this script file by entering the SCHCHECK command at the server console.

This will report the system time, and whether it is synchronised to the network (one of the basic checks you need to perform). You then have 10 seconds to switch to the DSTRACE console. If you see "All Processed=Yes", then you know that the following things are true:

• The schema is synchronized.
• There is good working connectivity between this server and the schema replica server that this server talks to.

After 10 seconds, the DSTRACE screen is automatically killed, saving you a cleanup task.

This solution isn't particularly high-tech - I'm sure lots of others can think of ways to improve this! Still, it lets me verify first-hand with "raw" server commands that the tree schema is healthy.

Note: This solution works on any NetWare version, and I've found no problems using it via RCONJ.

Reader Comments

• Well, I would personally consider this an adequate way to force a schema synchronization. To truly have the output in dstrace mean much it should probably be run from the master replica of the root partition. Forcing a schema synchronization does not necessarily mean schema is synchronized. iMonitor is a better way to verify consistency.

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